Stone crab season is here — but are prices higher or lower this year?

The sand has settled, and the water is no longer murky: More than a week into Florida’s stone crab season, prices are set — and they’re higher than last year.

The season, which runs through May 1, 2026, opened Oct. 15, but it typically takes about a week for fishermen and fish houses to settle on “dock prices.” Roger Duarte, CEO of the Miami-based George Stone Crab, said that the higher prices this season are no surprise.

Owner of the largest vertical stone crab operation in North America, which has its own fleet of fishermen and boats and handles processing and distribution as well, he’s not unhappy with that state of affairs.

“In general, stone crab prices are higher than last year,” he said. “I don’t expect it to go down that much, judging on the dock price we pay the fisherman. Previously, fishermen had less control over pricing, but they manage it now quite well. The price is back up, but I’m glad, because they need to make a living.”

Several factors are driving the higher costs. Fewer people are working in the industry each year, said Duarte, and crabbing is a difficult industry with a short season, and costly upkeep for boats and traps. Fishermen lose an estimated 5 to 10 percent of traps annually — hundreds for a single boat — and must replace them before the next season.

Duarte said there’s another influence that may impact the business this year: immigration enforcement.

“With ICE picking up people in the Keys, there are fewer workers,” he said, adding that a neighbor of his with three boats could only send out two this season because the captain couldn’t find enough mates to operate the third boat. “That can make a difference.”

Still, so far this year’s haul seems to be a good one. Key West native Mario Palazon of FreshCo Fish Market & Grill in Kendall, who has been in the seafood wholesale business for more than 20 years, says that his suppliers have been catching a record number of crabs. He relies heavily on First Class Seafood on Cudjoe Key, which he says other fish houses look to “to see where they’re going to be at pricewise.”

“This year, we had no big storms,” he said, mindful of Hurricane Milton, which made landfall on Siesta Key on Florida’s west coast ahead of last year’s stone crab season. “Last year boats weren’t catching as much at the beginning of the season. This year has been fruitful. The whole coast, from St. Pete to the Keys, are getting big numbers already.”

Retail prices

Retail prices this year by the pound, according to Palazon, run from $31-$34 for medium claws; $45-$47 for large claws; and $51-$53 for extra large. Last year’s season, he was selling large crab legs for $34-$39, although by the end of the season the price had dropped to $27-$29.

Duarte’s estimates for this season are slightly higher: $35-$40 for medium; $50-$60 for large; and $65-$75 for jumbo.

Large is the most popular size, according to Salazon, offering “more bang for your buck.” The thing that’s important to remember, both men stress, is that you’ll definitely pay more at a restaurant than you will at a grocery store or seafood market.

“If you’re going to splurge, you go to a restaurant,” Duarte said. “And that experience will be worth it. Look at Joe’s Stone Crab — it’s an institution, and it’s an experience. They’re the best at it.”

Restaurant prices

When it comes to stone crabs, many Miami restaurants are fond of putting “market price” on their menus, unwilling to let diners know what they’re getting into until they order. But a few Miami spots are confident enough to let diners know what to expect before they leave the house.

At the iconic Joe’s Stone Crab, large stone crab claws at Joe’s are $84.95, with jumbos costing $134.95 and selects (essentially mediums, according to Palazon) $59.95. If mediums are available for take out, the Miami Beach restaurant sells them for $49.95 a pound.

At the Michelin Bib Gourmand spot Michael’s Genuine in the Design District, you can order one perfect crab leg (or three or five) with green sambal and Chef Michael Schwartz’s mustard sauce. One large is $22, while three will set you back $63 and five costs $98. For the jumbo size, it’s $39 for one; $114 for three; and five for $189.

And at Catch of the Day in Miami, two large claws are $37.99, while four large cost $68.99. The restaurant on Le Jeune Road has no jumbo claws for now — they’re expected to arrive later in the season — but go for Catch’s happy hour from 3-7 p.m. daily, and you can get medium claws for $10 apiece.

Barring a late season storm, Duarte and Palazon expect the prices to hold steady, maybe even drop a little, as the first-month fever and novelty dies down. There are two nights, though, when the price might rise, according to Palazon.

“They might go up for New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day,” he said. “That’s really the only time unless a storm comes by.”

This story was originally published October 25, 2025 at 4:30 AM.